By CNET News.com Staff
January 29, 2001, 1:30 p.m. PT

The software giant's vast empire of Web properties and services suffer extensive outages.

Microsoft pain is Net services' gain
Thanks to the recent attacks on the software giant's Web sites, technology for speeding downloads transforms overnight into anti-hacking defense systems.
January 29, 2001, 2:15 p.m. PT 
Software flaw may mean more Web outages
The major outages that hit Microsoft last week could become more commonplace because of four flaws found in the software used to identify servers around the Internet.
January 29, 2001, 12:40 p.m. PT 
Microsoft leans on Akamai for Net support
After a week of off-again, on-again access to several of its popular Web sites, the software giant links arms with Akamai to provide a safeguard against future outages.
January 29, 2001, 10:30 a.m. PT 

New attacks block access to Microsoft sites
update Another round of attacks temporarily blocks access to the company's array of Web sites, extending its Web problems to a fourth consecutive day.
January 26, 2001, 11:15 p.m. PT 
Internet companies vulnerable to attack, experts say
Conventional wisdom holds that the Internet was made to withstand nuclear attack. In reality, outages caused by both bad network design and failures of critical equipment are becoming more commonplace.
January 26, 2001, 11:25 a.m. PT 
Whois search provides no clues to Microsoft outage
A practical joke misled many amateur investigators into prematurely believing that Microsoft's massive Web outage was the result of an attack.
January 26, 2001, 5:15 p.m. PT 
Attack knocks out Microsoft Web sites
Network attackers overwhelm the company's connection to the Internet, causing traffic to its major Web sites to slow to a crawl.
January 25, 2001, 4:15 p.m. PT 
Shutdown trips up techs to gamers
Outages and a hack attack morph into outrage and raised hackles for Microsoft users.
January 25, 2001, 4:40 p.m. PT 
Microsoft blames technicians
update The software giant says technicians are responsible for blocking traffic to most of its major Web sites.
January 24, 2001, 7:05 p.m PT 
Microsoft customers sound off on outage
Managers of technology departments around the world unite in anger against the software giant, their enemy of the moment.
January 24, 2001, 6:10 p.m. PT 
Hotmail users inured to frequent outages
Users of Microsoft's free e-mail service have grown accustomed to frequent glitches.
January 24, 2001 5:30 p.m PT 
Outage brings a Net giant to its knees
The embarrassing outage that prohibited access to Microsoft's major Web properties comes at a high point in the company's checkered history on the Net.
January 24, 2001, 4:35 p.m. PT 
Experts criticize Microsoft network design
As the software giant repairs the problems affecting its Web sites, experts begin criticizing one aspect of the company's network design that may have allowed the problems to occur.
January 24, 2001, 4:05 p.m. PT